Depression

A new study of over 6,600 adolescents reveals that bad daily habits rarely occur alone. When behaviors like poor sleep and physical inactivity cluster together, they dramatically increase a teen's risk of developing both anxiety and depression.

A new review of over 250,000 individuals reveals that having a clear sense of meaning in life is consistently linked to lower levels of depression, though the strength of this protection varies widely across different ages and cultural backgrounds.

A recent study found that consuming high amounts of sugar and sweetened beverages is associated with a greater chance of experiencing depression and anxiety.

While having fewer social contacts makes anyone feel lonely, a new study finds this effect is much more severe in depressed individuals. Researchers suggest depression treatments must actively help patients rebuild their social networks.

New research reveals that adolescent boys hospitalized with major depression have much higher testosterone levels if they experience suicidal thoughts. The findings point toward potential biological markers that could help doctors identify young men at risk of self-harm.

By analyzing brain scans from over 4,000 people, researchers trained AI to predict if a patient’s depression will improve with medication or brain stimulation. This newly discovered biomarker could finally end trial-and-error psychiatric care.

A sweeping analysis of over a million health records reveals that people living with autoimmune diseases experience depression and anxiety at nearly twice the rate of the general public, suggesting a profound link between physical inflammation and mental health.

New findings published in Nature Medicine indicate that a brief dose of the psychedelic DMT, administered with dedicated psychological support, safely and rapidly relieves major depression. These mental health improvements tend to last for up to three months.

While memory and planning issues linked to early adolescent depression typically fade, a new study reveals that inattention persists. Scientists found that poor focus and depressive symptoms continually reinforce each other as teenagers grow.

A new brain imaging study reveals an association between overlapping depression and cannabis use and less efficient brain communication. The heightened connectivity typically seen with cannabis use is less pronounced when depression symptoms are present.

Challenging the idea of depressive realism, new research shows that depression causes an active pessimistic bias. People with high depressive symptoms consistently underestimate the likelihood of positive events actually occurring in their everyday lives.

A recent study provides evidence that young adults experiencing suicidal thoughts process words like "death" differently. Brain imaging suggests these individuals reflexively associate death-related concepts with their own identities, offering a potential new way to identify at-risk youth.

New research in the Journal of Affective Disorders provides evidence that children with chronic illnesses face a significantly higher risk of depression. This suggests a strong need to combine physical and mental healthcare for young patients.

A new study suggests that building muscle strength could play a direct role in reducing depression risk, particularly in women. Researchers found no evidence that aerobic fitness offers the same mental health benefits.

Scientists have discovered that a person's genetic blueprint can hint at how severe their depression might become. High genetic risk is closely linked to lower life satisfaction and a greater likelihood of needing inpatient hospital care.